Propelling device for boats.



No; 748,453. PATENTED DEC. 29, was.

' J. s. WORCESTER.

PROPELLING DEVICE FOR BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7. 1903. No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: I INVENTORZ. fiurmwmsfiwp,

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PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903. J. S. WORCBSTBR..

PROPELLING DEVICE FOR BOATSi APPLICATION FILED APR. 7. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 20

N0 MODEL.

- l lNVENTOR-.. J was, m/ramps) BY. fl ed ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES: QM w nwzzl/z UNITED STATES V Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT ()FFICE.

PROPELLIN G DEVICE FOR B OATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748.453, dated December29, 1903. Application filed April 7, 1903- Serial No. 151 ,437. (Nmodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES S. WORCESTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented and produced a new and original Improvement in PropellingDevices for Boats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to numeralsof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to secure increased speed with a givenexpenditure of power; to reduce the concussion or. jarring effect uponthe boat as the latter is forced through the water, the concussionsbeing due to the vibrations and oscillations of the propelling devices;to obtain a more regular and smooth sailing of the vessel; to reduce thecost of construction, and to secure varione other advantages andresults, some of figures, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the sternportion of a boat to which my improvements have been applied. Fig. 2 isa detail plan of apropelling-hlade and its supporting arm or carrier.Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail viewshowing a portion of the steering-gear, showing the same in rearelevation. Fig. 5 is a side elevation showingthe interior portions ofthe propelling devices. Fig. 6 is a plan of the same, and Fig. 7 is atransverse section of one of the blade-supporting arms.

In said drawings, 7 indicates the hull of the boat, the stern of whichprojects rearwardly at a point above or at the water-line,

said shaft or by other suitable means.

so as to form beneath the projecting or overhanging portion of the sternan aperture or recess in which the propelling-blade and its supports orcarriers are free to operate.

In the inclined or approximately horizontal flooring 8 of theoverhanging portion of the boat are arranged bearings for theblade-operating shaft. Said bearings are preferably in the particularpart which is sometimes called the stern-post,disposed at thelongitudinal center of the stern portion of the hull. The said bearings9 10 clamp on the inner and outer sides of the flooring, as shownclearly in Fig. '5, the inner bearing 9 being provided with tubularextensions 11 12, the first of which extends upward toa point preferablyabove the water-line and serves as a pivotal post or bearing for aswinging orhorizontally-oscillating frame 16, hereinafter referred to.The bearing-plate 9 is also furnished with a downward vertical extension12 shorter than the first above referred to, and which fits within aperforation in the flooring or hull 9 and preferably enters a socket 13,formed in the lower platelike portion of the bearing 10, the saidextension 12 and socket 13 and the contiguous parts being coated withthick white lead to secure im permeability and secure against leakage. V

The plate-like parts of the bearings 9 10 are strongly bolted togetherandto the hull by means of the bolts 14, thus securing great rigidityand firmness of bearing from the vertical shaft 15 and a rigid andstrong pivotal support for. the oscillating frame 16.

The keel 17 of the boat is also extended rearwardly and is preferablyacasting or forging of suitable structure which provides a bearing 18,upon which the vertical'shaft 15 at its lower endis seated, the saidvertical shaft being prevented from moving upward out of said hearing bya fixed collar 19 on He tween the keel extension and the flooring Sisarranged on the said shaft 15 two or more arms 20, which are keyed orotherwise fixed upon said shaft, so as to move therewith. Said arms 20are preferably shaped in crosssection as in Fig. 7, the opposite edgesbeing reduced to a blade-like edge, so as to cut horizontally throughthe water with great ease or little resistance, as will be understood.

At the free extremities of the arms 20 is arranged a shaft or rod 21,Fig. 3, which is see cured to the said arms by nuts or cotter-pins orany other suitable means, and at a point about midway between the saidarms is hinged the propelling-blade 22, having the hinge-eye 23, whichmay be integral with the blade or otherwise. The said hinge-eye 23 isheld at a point midway between the arms by means of tubular sleeve 24,arranged on said shaft or rod 21 either loosely or rigidly. The saidsleeves are preferably rigidly secured to the arms 20 or integraltherewith, and the shaft or rod 21 is preferably removably arranged insaid sleeves. At the free extremities of said arms 20 the same isforked, as shown in Fig. 2 at 25, the prongs of the forks being curvedor turned, so as to lie in the path of the propellingblade, theextremities of the said arms serving as detents in pairs, by which thesaid propelling-blade is limited in its oscillating movements to anangle of one hundred and twenty degrees, more or less, as indicated inFig. 2.

The propelling-blade 22 is hinged or pivoted on the shaft 21 at adistance from and eccentric to the shaft 15 and is of flexible andresilient metal adapted to bend slightly when subjected to theresistance of the water, so that when the said blade, hearing at itsopposite ends against the prongs 25, is forced through the water by itssupporting-arms 20 and the motive means connected therewith the saidblade will assume a slightly-curved shape, the concavity being towardthe resisting water. The said water will be thus thrust rearward by theblade and at the same time caused to move toward a horizontal centerline more or less approximating a line parallel with the keel. By thismeans there will be but little spray or loose flying particles of waterat the stern.

At the upper extremity of the vertical shaft 15 within the hull of thevessel is keyed or otherwise fastened a worm-wheel 26, which meshes witha second worm-wheel 27, journaled upon the'frame 16, the worm-wheelbeing rigid on the shaft 15 and the cooperating worm-wheel 27 beingjournaled upon and movable with the frame 16. When the said frame 16 isoscillated on the shaft 15 as a center of movement, as hereinafterdescribed, the said shaft 15 will be also oscillated to effect anoscillation of the arms 20, as above referred to. The said frame 16eccentric to the shaft 15 is provided with a fork 30, the prongs 31 ofwhich provide bearings for a vertical shaft or bar 32, which serves as aslideway for a slotted and sliding head 33 of a crank-pin 34. The saidcrank-pin 34 is tnbular or sleeve-like to receive the shank 35 of thesliding head The crank-pin in turn is formed upon a wheel or balancedplate 36, keyed to or fixed upon the rotary drivingany suitable manner.

shaft 37, which last receives its power from an engine or other motor,the said shaft 37 having its bearings on a stud or stand 38 in Rotarymotion being imparted to the shaft 37 by the engine, the wheel or plate36 is caused to rotate and with it the tubular crank-pin 34. This samerotary motion is imparted to the sliding shank 35, free to move withinthe said crank-pin. The head 33 of the shank being slotted, the axis ofthe wheel 36 may be at any inclination without interfering with the freemovement, and because of the inclination of the said axis the said shank35 may move in and "out in the line of the longer axis of thetubupelling-blade.

The path of oscillation of the free end of the frame 30 is ninetydegrees, more or less, and as a result the arms 20 also move in an angleof ninety degrees, more or less, less than the anglein which themovements of the blade 22 are confined for the purposes hereinafterspecified.

The locations of the fields or paths of move- 'ment of the frame 16 andthe arms 20 maybe varied at will for steering or changing the directionof the boat.

The worm-wheel 27 is in connection with a cog-wheel or gear-wheel 28,which in turn intermeshes with a gear-wheel 40, journaled upon the upperpart of the frame and having a forked arm 41, extending to a point inline with the axis of the vertical shaft 15, and between the prongs ofthe forked arm 41 is a socketed piece 42, pivoted between said arms 41and in turn receiving in its socket the ball-like head 43 of asteering-shaft 44, the said shaft being adapted tobe turned by a Wheel45 and belt 46, the latter extending to the steering-wheel in thewheel-house of the boat, directly or indirectly in any suitable manner.The forked arms, socketed piece, and ball-like extremity of the shaft 44may be modified in any suitable manner to secure a universal joint.

While I have described in positive terms the construction of my device,I am aware that various modifications and Variations from'the detailedconstruction may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself toall the details which I have positively described.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. Thecombination,in a propeller for boats, with a flexible blade and meansfor supporting and operating the same, of detents stationed IIO at theopposite ends of said flexible blade and adapted to providelimiting-bearings,whereby the said ends of the blade will be held whilethe said blade is bending or bowing under the resistance of the Water,the said blade being pivoted intermediate of said detents and the endsof said blade being free to permit an easy flexure.

2. The combination, in a propeller for boats with afiexible blade andmeans for oscillatingthe same, of two pairs of detents, a pair beingstationed at opposite ends of the blade to limit the scope ofoscillating movement and effect a bowing of the blade when the latter issubjected to the resistance of the water, said blade being arranged on apivotal shaft of said oscillating means at a point intermediate of saiddetcnts and the ends of said blade being free, and tubular sleevesarranged on said pivotal shaft at opposite sides of the pivotalconnections of the blade to hold said bladein operative relation to thedetents. l

3. The combination with the vertical shafts having bearings in the sternof a boat and having horizontally-projecting arms carrying anoscillating blade limited by detents of said arms, of an oscillatingframe pivoted in axial line withsaid shaft and carrying a.worm- Wheel, acooperating worm-wheelffixed upon said vertical shaft and intermeshingwith the first said worm-wheel, and means for oscillating said frame,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the shaft provided with bearings for anoscillating frame, said shaft having a blade attached, which is pivotedat a point eccentric to the axis of said with bearings for anoscillating frame, said shaft having a blade attached which is pivotedat a point eccentric to the axis of said shaft and has alimited movementon its pivots, of an oscillating frame pivoted on its bearings at anaxial line conccentric with the axis of said shaft, a worm-wheel fixedto said shaft, a second worm-wheel journaled on said frame andintermeshing with the first said worm-wheel, and means for operatingsaid frame, comprising adrivingshaft carryinga tubular crank-pin and asliding head having a shank adapted to slide longitudinally and turnaxially in said tubular crank-pin, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the shaft provided with bearings for anoscillating frame, said shaft having a blade attached which is pivotedat a point eccentric to the axis of said shaft and has alimited movementon its pivots, of an oscillating frame pivoted on its bearings at anaxial line concentric with the axis of said shaft, a worm-wheel fixed tosaid shaft, a second worm-wheel journaled on said frame and intermeshingwith the first said worm-wheel, and means for operating said frame,comprising a driving-shaft, a wheel or plate fixed thereon and having atubular crank-pin, a shank sliding and turning in said crank-pin, andhaving a slotted head sliding on the oscillating frame.

7.. The combination with the shaft 15, a bearing on said shaft having atubular extension and-a frame pivoted on said extension and having arms31, and a shaft orbar 32, of a driving-shaft 37, having a plate or Wheel36, having a tubular crank-pin and a slotted head arranged on said shaftor bar, and having a shank movably arranged in said crank-pin and meansfor transmitting motion from the frame to said shaft 15, substantiallyas set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this25th day of March, 1903.

JAMES s. WORCESTER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, C. D. PITNEY.

